Trichoderma aggressivum in mushrooms

Trichoderma aggressivum is a disease that causes a fast-growing green mould to form in mushroom crops. It can devastate whole crops at a time. It thrives in the conditions necessary for farming mushrooms (e.g. warm temperatures, high relative humidity, darkness in spawn run), taking over the nutrients and space meant for mushroom development.

Infection can occur at compost facilities, growing facilities, during transportation or in filling/emptying operations. You’ll need to follow stringent hygiene measures to prevent and control the effects of the disease.

There are several symptoms to note for Trichoderma aggressivum, but it’s hard to spot the early signs. It’s important to know what the disease looks like in its different stages so that you can deal with infection quickly.

Trichoderma aggressivum moves rapidly through mushroom crops, so constant monitoring is key. Find out what kind of testing is available and the best site locations to carry out tests.

Following a set of strict hygiene measures is the best disease management strategy for mushroom diseases, including the rapidly spreading Trichoderma aggressivum. Read our findings on general best practices, plus specific recommendations on looking after hygiene in key areas of mushroom production.

Images are courtesy and copyright of: Mairead Kilpatrick (AFBI), Johan Baars (C4C Holding), Piet Liempens (Hooymans Compost BV), Brendan Burns (Sylvan) and Roland Mumm (Wageningen UR)

© John Peeters

An example of the visible green spores /  "competitor mould" caused by Trichoderma aggressivum